Ancient DNA shows plague killed Siberian hunter-gatherers 5,500 years ago
6 verified3 unconfirmed
A new study published in Nature reveals that plague was already killing humans 5,500 years ago in small hunter-gatherer groups near Lake Baikal in Siberia. Researchers analyzed ancient DNA from teeth recovered at four cemeteries and detected Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for plague, in multiple individuals. The finding is the earliest known plague outbreak and the oldest strain of the bacterium ever sequenced. The study challenges previous assumptions that early plague strains were mild and that the disease only became a threat after the rise of farming and cities. Radiocarbon dating indicated that many burials occurred over a short period, with a high number of children and young teenagers among the dead. The research team combined genetic evidence with archaeological analysis to reconstruct what happened within these prehistoric communities.
What’s verified
Plague DNA (Yersinia pestis) was found in ancient teeth from hunter-gatherer cemeteries near Lake Baikal in Siberia.
The remains date to approximately 5,500 years ago.
The study was published in the journal Nature on June 18, 2026.
The research was led by Ruairidh Macleod of the University of Oxford.
This is described as the earliest known plague outbreak and the oldest strain of Yersinia pestis ever sequenced.
The finding challenges previous assumptions that early plague strains were mild and that plague first became a threat after the rise of farming and cities.
Not yet confirmed
The finding of a distinctive superantigen in the ancient plague strains, which has not been found in later historic strains, is reported by only one source.
The hypothesis that the disease may have passed from infected marmots to humans is reported by only one source.
The exact number of individuals studied (46) and the detection rate (18 out of 46, nearly 40%) is only detailed in one source; the other source describes "dozens dead" but not an exact count.
Misconceptions
Both sources address the misconception that the earliest plague strains were mild and not highly lethal. They also address the idea that plague first began affecting humans only after the rise of agriculture and dense settlements, which the new evidence contradicts.
Key figures
Ruairidh Macleod (lead author, University of Oxford), Eske Willerslev (senior author, University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge), Martin Sikora (senior author, University of Copenhagen), Andrzej Weber (archaeologist, University of Alberta)
Sources: ScienceDaily, Ars Technica
